The most successful businesses are those with confidence in their ability to store, access and use data effectively. Rather than focusing on the nuts and bolts of storage, this view point looks at the data it holds and more importantly, what can be done with it.

This review looks at why small businesses need to stop being complacent about their networks and at what they can do to maintain their competitive edge as they follow the big boys down the route of increasing collaboration and other bandwidth-hungry applications likely to impact on network performance and availability.

US launch proves that brand is more than a local phenomena

The ultra-portable ARM system has taken the US by storm, selling out its US stock in a matter of hours and accumulating a waiting list as long as six weeks. A second supplier, Newark, has limited quantities of the B Board model in stock.

That the Raspberry Pi would be such a success comes as little surprise. The Linux systems are a hobbyists dream, offering a highly accessible platform in a form factor that can fit into just about any enclosure or usage case.

The success of Raspberry Pi, however, should give firms in London's Tech City and other UK startups hope that local businesses can not only make it in the global market, but catch on at a scale that can rival some of the biggest brands in the world.

Now that the Pi is an international success, hopefully the company can give something back to the local market and bring additional UK technology startups into the limelight. The company and its co-founder Eben Upton have emerged as leaders and champions of initiatives to imrpove technology education and business policy locally.

The Raspberry Pi also follows in the footsteps of other UK firms famous for making portable, efficient PCs. Clive Sinclair made himself a household name in the 1980s when he launched his line of affordable home systems. While Raspberry Pi has a long way to go before reaching Sinclair's heights, the smashing debut in the US a very solid start.